Water, water everywhere

April 17th proved to be a red-letter day for Blewbury Croquet Club with the first successful running of our new irrigation system.

It proved perfect timing with the courts in pristine condition for the staging of a CqE GC Open tournament just 24 hours later.

The system was programmed remotely to operate from 1.30 to 5am.

Delighted chairman Joe King said: “Each rotor ran for 25 minutes, which is around five complete sweeps back and forth. We used 23,000 litres… and not a penny to pay!

“The soil moisture content went up as hoped for and expected, so it was all good news. Again, all that is observable remotely.”

The lawns are still being mowed at ‘winter’ height as the grass is taking some time to recover from heavy wear after autumn maintenance coupled with dry conditions.

The height of the grass will be dropped over the next few weeks.

Brian had all the bases covered

Brian Jamieson was this week celebrating several jobs well done after Saturday’s GC Open tournament at Blewbury.

Brian’s busy weekend began on Friday evening by helping to prepare new hoop positions for the prestigious CqE event.

He was up at the crack of dawn the following morning to set up the lawns and then manage and referee the tournament before supervising the late-afternoon closedown — with his glamorous assistant — after a ten-hour shift.

And the canny Scotsman still found time on the following day to write up a concise report for our club website.

Brian said: “Generally the eight players were a pretty satisfied bunch and I didn’t hear any adverse comments.

“Refereeing was easy since players at this level know the rules about crushes, bevels etc and avoid these errors.”

His overall verdict? “I would like to be sure that all our members are aware that we organise tournaments that attract top players and have a good reputation in those circles.”

The tournament was won by the Dulwich player Guy Scurfield, seen here receiving his prize from Brian.

Club titles for King and Evason

Here’s a chance to catch up with the early-season competitive action at the club, for those who haven’t been paying attention to our website.

Members have battled it out in a range of codes and in a range of weather conditions, some of which were, er…. not the best!

First up, in a gale, was the AC Hi-Lo Doubles, from which Andrew Petit (Lo) and Claire King (Hi) took home the spoils. Andrew said: “No one was more surprised than me.”

Sadly Joe can’t make the national final next month, so Blewbury will be represented at Surbiton by one from runner-up Nigel Cox or David Long or Andy Robertson.

The long-awaited 2025 Prebendal Trophy was finally contested four months late with Andy Evason capturing the AC crown, putting his seven bisques to good effect to beat Peter Allan 26-14 in a windswept final.

It was his first club title and Andy said: “I played a bit better after I used up all my bisques.”

For those who like an in-depth, comprehensive match report I would recommend the essay penned by the losing finalist … every cough and spit from the horse’s mouth!

Also defying plunging temperatures were contestants in the GC Hi-Lo Doubles. David Long (Lo) and Philippa Turner (Hi) walked away with the fine wines from that one.

And there was a successful start to their GC Advantage League campaign for Blewbury D, Simon and Jackie Bryant both scoring three wins in a 9-7 victory over Caversham.

Blewbury C kicked off their Advantage League campaign with an even bigger win — 13-3 over Basingstoke, assisted somewhat by one of the visiting team doing a no-show. A big shout-out here to Sarah Donne, who won all her matches, as did David Long. A subsequent protest by the Hampshire club — moaning about Philippa Turner’s timekeeping — was rejected by the League management.

Forty-eight hours later Blewbury C pulled off another victory, overcoming some huge Target scores differentials to win 9-7 at Phyllis Court E. David Vincent and Andy Evason chalked up three wins apiece after some lengthy battles against the four generously-handicapped Henley ladies.

Meet the mutt: Our doggone new member

Here’s a picture you weren’t expecting to see in a croquet newsletter! As part of our regular ‘meet the new member’ feature, BCC approached Chen Woodward, who has signed up with us on a three-month contract.

The plan is to make it easy for members to be able to recognise new faces to our courts and make them feel welcome.

But Chen had other ideas. “I couldn’t find a decent picture of myself,” she said, “so I have provided one of my dog Apollo, who is far more photogenic than me.”

Former police officer Chen is also a member of the South West Federation club Bradford-upon-Avon and is staying with her brother in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell while her property in Wiltshire is undergoing renovation.

Besides croquet, Chen’s other hobbies include campanology, calling the faithful to prayer by ringing the bells at her local church.

She has a son reading Finance at Durham University, while Apollo has four sons and two daughters… who are not reading anything.

Go easy with the mallet

Members are reminded not to hammer the hoops in too far when they are setting up the courts before their games. The bottom line is that tops of carrots should always protrude as far as possible without impeding the ball. The hoop positions are now being changed every three weeks but — to prevent the holes getting too loose — it is hoped that it won’t be necessary to move them more often.

Oh, Carol! ‘You hurt me and you make me cry’

Blewbury stalwart Carol Jamieson is still spitting feathers over the great Croquet England GC handicap U-turn.

The former club merchandising guru has been the victim of some astonishing CqE indecision.

Carol suffered after CqE manager James Death sent out an edict that “if a player’s dynamic grade is more than one lower than their card shows, their handicap should be reduced accordingly.”

But just a week later CqE chief executive Andy Dalby-Walsh put out an ‘urgent’ message to club handicappers: “Please stop this process now.”

All of which left Carol properly stitched up!

She said: “I was told that I was in the C Level tournament at Budleigh in April but then an hour later I was told that my handicap was reduced by this new rule from seven to five.

“Therefore I was no longer eligible to play in C Levels and had to withdraw from all C levels I had entered for the season. Blewbury handicapper Steve Fisher was informed and had to change my card.

“The next day James Death phoned to say he was not refunding my entry fees as the new rule was being reconsidered.

“With my new handicap of five I entered the B level at Budleigh but at the allocation I did not get a place as my D grade was not good enough!

“Having thought that this was all sorted and that I knew what I was doing for the season, the chief exec of CqE emailed me to say that this new rule was to be stopped and that my handicap would not be changed.

“Back to square one, except that I have missed out on the Budleigh C Level. I have received my fees back for the C Levels I had entered but then had to start again and enter afresh.”

Factor in the aggravation of the concomitant uncertainty over accommodation reservations near the venue in Devon and Carol’s grief ramped up even more.

She said: “It was quite a saga and meant a number of sleepless nights trying to work out each scenario. All told I was not a happy bunny.”

Fortunately Carol was the only Blewbury member involved in the about-face. She thinks she knows who was at fault and said: “I’ll have a word with him when I see him.”

Anyone still confused should read the latest CqE “urgent guidance”

The day we cleaned up our act

Massive kudos to the members who took part in the big pre-season spring cleaning bonanza!

Here’s what the clubhouse floor looks like when it has been scrubbed and polished. Sadly, it doesn’t stay like that for very long when the courts are damp but Jackie Bryant’s army of volunteers put in a great shift.

The chairs and windows got the same treatment and we even had the CqE coaching supremo cleaning the loo. Top job, Ruth!

Our workers also left the club sign gleaming (above) to impress passing motorists on the A417.

Don’t forget that you can sign up to help out around the club.

At last, Spring is sprung

Praise the Lord! The weather’s improving and the start of the competitive croquet season at Blewbury is barely a fortnight away.

We’ve a busy first week planned with tournaments and matches in three codes, kicking off on Saturday, April 4th, with the AC Hi-Lo Doubles.

Next up, on Easter Monday, is the Roger Cambray Charity One-Ball, with Deirdre Cochrane defending her title at the annual barbecue.

At the last look both these competitions had room for about four more players; check them out and sign up.

The Advantage League season opens on Wednesday, April 8th, with Blewbury D taking on Caversham. Club GC champ Simon Bryant leads a side of three 7-handicappers… Carol Jamieson, Jackie Bryant and Bruce Gibson.

The action switches to the AC code on Saturday, April 11th, when last season’s Prebendal Manor Cup is finally wrapped up. Two of Blewbury’s best AC players, Joe King and Peter Allan, will battle to earn the right to face Andy Evason in the afternoon final.

Andy will be clutching a fistful of bisques… seven if he plays Peter and 8.5 if it’s Joe.

On the following day it is the turn of the GC players to contest the Hi-Lo Doubles. Again, there are a few places left.

Don’t forget…if you’re not playing then a bit of support is always appreciated. Also, any photos taken at these events would be a welcome contribution to the April newsletter.

An old friend remembered

Tributes have been paid to former Blewbury member Rodney Calver, who passed away in January aged 85.

Rodney (left) was an Oxfordshire boy who move to the United States 40 years ago but kept a cottage in Uffington and came over to the UK every year and played at our club.

Our member Sandy Millikin said: “When Carol Wadsworth, Minty Clinch and I became members we told Rodney about it and he became a member, but he only played when he was here in the summer. I guess that was from 2019.

“For a while he was quite keen but then his health deteriorated and he did not play for the past couple of years. I am sure some members will remember him. He was mainly an AC player.”

Rodney had been honoured as club president of the year by the USA croquet association for his work at his local club in Maryland.

Everywhere you go, always take the weather with you

There was a sense of ending when the Avonmore contractors finally completed their work on the club’s new irrigation scheme.

Avonmore supremo Phil Butler and site foreman Jon — who has spent more time at the club recently than most of our members — are pictured with one of their sprinklers after they performed a “handover” ceremony to chairman Joe King.

Joe — who like Andy Evason has spent a lot of time and effort on the project — professed himself well pleased with the job.

Now it only remains for the borehole to be connected to the ‘tank farm’. Then he can operate the system through an app from the comfort of his favourite armchair.

Through another app Joe and his fellow committee members can monitor a huge array of weather data, including temperature, wind speed, wind chill factor, UV index, light intensity, daily rainfall, air temperature and much more.

However, the world moves on and our pictures show the weather station console in the clubhouse and the sensor which feeds it all the data.

Future projects include the planting of hedging to screen the tanks and the instalment of a heavy-duty ‘awning’ to protect the clubhouse from spray from the sprinklers.

Further down the line will come levelling work on the clubhouse boundary, when funds permit.

Before that there will be a work party to get the grounds shipshape for the new season. Please watch your emails for appeals for volunteers.

Charity begins at home

It may still feel like midwinter but it’s time to start planning your start to the new season.

The first date on our TeamUp calendar is April 4th, when the AC Hi-Lo Doubles will be staged and on Sunday, April 12th, it’s the turn of the GC Hi-Lo Doubles.

In between those two events is our big ‘social’, the Roger Cambray Charity One-ball on Easter Monday, April 6th.

As usual club chairman Joe King will be serving a lunchtime roast and after that feast there will be all sorts of fun and games for those not involved in the final rounds of the Cambray.

Entries are now open to all three of those events at https://blewburycroquetclub.org.uk/competitions/

In the following week the league season gets underway, so it’s time to let the team captains know if you want to get involved in the competitive stuff.

For AC players the men to contact are Peter Allan (A level), David Long (Handicap), Andy Evason (B level), Andrew Petit (Short) and Steve Fisher (C level teams), while for GC Peter Allan (Open League), Brian Jamieson (3+), Andy Evason and David Dibben (Advantage) plus Carol Jamieson (Doubles League) are doing the admin.

Don’t forget that those who sign up as premium members will get the first shout at the team places.

Of course, you will have to renew your club membership first. Look out for the imminent heads-up.

Your chance to join the croquet greats

With courts closed for one reason or another, this is the time to plan your competitive programme for the year.

The Croquet England calendar for 2026 went live on Sunday, with the usual long list of tournaments in all codes and at all ability levels.

Blewbury are staging no fewer than 11 of these events this summer and places are quickly being snapped up.. The One-Day Short Croquet tournament already looks popular, as does the Smokey’s Cup in July.

Neighbouring clubs such as Phyllis Court and High Wycombe also have plenty of tournaments on and another popular AC event is the Wessex Shield, played at Littleton and Winchester on May 8th and 9th (details from ian.b.harrison@btinternet.com). If you’re new to the sport then travelling to different courts and taking on unfamiliar players is always an invaluable way of improving your game.

And if you enter any of the level-play competitions for the first time you will get a world ranking. You will be a bit further down the rankings than the likes of Reg Bamford and Matthew Essick, but your name will be on the same list.

Just what we wanted… a lawn wizard!

Blewbury swooped in the January transfer window to make another good signing from Caversham.

“I’ve joined as a premium member to play matches and tournaments to reduce my handicap. I might consider AC later. In the meantime, thank you to the Blewbury people I have met who have made me so welcome.”

Keep off the grass… well, some of it!

Members are asked to prioritise Court 1 over Court 2 for the next few weeks. Court 2 is starting to show the effects of a heavy footfall so players should use Court 1 whenever they have the choice.

Please help us to clean up our act

Now the main works outside are just about completed it is time to get the clubhouse ready for the new season. A spring clean of the clubhouse is planned for Wednesday, March 4th. Please contact Jackie Bryant on croquetj6@gmail.com to let her know  if you are available to help with this.

It’s party time!

Tickets are now on sale for the big Blewbury Croquet Club event of the year… the Winter Social.

Book your tickets now for the party at the Red Lion on Wednesday, February 25th with an email to club secretary David Long (david.long@btinternet.com).

And reserve your place with a bank transfer to the club’s account, using the reference ‘2026 Social’. The account number is 04040874 and the sort code is 30-91-31.

Tickets cost £20 per person and that gets you a tasty supper of rolled shoulder of pork, coleslaw, salad, chips and a bap. Please advise on booking if you want a vegetarian option or other dietary requirement. The pub will be operating a pay bar — card payments only.

Official arrival time is from 7pm, but the pub will be open earlier. Food will be served between 7.15 & 7:30pm. A Pub Quiz will follow at around 8pm, with prizes awarded.

It’s possible to reserve a table (of up to six) for a group of friends but there should be plenty of scope to ‘match-make’ tables on the night.

David will as ever be setting the Quiz. He said: “It will be shorter this year, with more time for socialising.”

Blewbury’s hi-tech leap forward

The best croquet courts in the south will get a huge boost this week with the installation of our own remotely-controlled irrigation system.

Our ‘groundsmen’ will in future be able to use an app to start, stop and modify the Blewbury lawns from the comfort of their own homes.

And club members will be able to enjoy free access to the club’s own Wi-Fi.

Blewbury chairman Joe King has acquired the equipment needed for the Wi-Fi server and to connect the new irrigation system and digital weather station.

Joe said: “I’m expecting that when there has been no rain we can activate the irrigation to maintain good turf health and that when the lawns are at an optimum moisture level we can pause the irrigation accordingly.

“I’m so pleased that we’ve been able to advance things. Members will be able to use the club Wi-Fi, although we may encourage folks not to do so unless they really need to or we’ll burn through the 120GB on our SIM card!”

• Our pictures show where the new irrigation pipework has been laid near Court 2 and the three big tanks which will be storing our water from the borehole.

King becoming croquet royalty

Congratulations to our chairman Joe King on his being asked to step up to sit on Croquet England’s Tournament Committee.

The appointment is seen as something of an honour for Blewbury to be represented on a body which oversees the main CqE events every year.

And it will give him the opportunity to put his own influence on the sport, particularly the promotion of the Short Croquet code.

Joe said: “I believe I can take this on without compromising other commitments. I’m pleased to be able to put something back into the game on a broad scale.”

Always look on the bright side…

Members who have been kept off the lawns by the recent sub-zero temperatures need not despair… there’s a lot going on behind the scenes.

Both captain of croquet Andrew Petit and myself have started to load up fixtures on to the TeamUp calendar to ensure that there will be plenty to keep you occupied from the spring onwards.

You’re guaranteed a packed programme of competitive action in all the codes. Those who prefer friendlier games will get a shout-out from Philippa Turner or Rosemary Balsdon.

And for those who stick to social croquet… well, I hope the weather improves for you soon!

Meet the new girl

Calling in the professionals

Please give a very warm welcome to Blewbury’s new captain of croquet, Andrew Petit.

Also stepping up to the committee this week was Jackie Bryant, who has taken over the clubhouse cleaning organisation as well as merchandising responsibilities. I can guarantee you’ll be hearing from her on both these matters!

Now, with a former general practitioner and a former vicar on the committee, you can be assured that the club has you covered on medical as well as pastoral issues.

The other major appointment at this week’s committee meeting was my taking over as newsletter and communications officer from the late Minty Clinch as notified in The footsteps of giants.

As mentioned in that piece, the committee are keen for all members to contribute by posting their own reports and pictures. That would save me some work, and I promise that this will be the last time I will write about Dave Dibben in the third person. 

And for those who haven’t read it yet, here’s a link to the excellent eulogy at Minty’s funeral service

Another important role was filled this week when Philippa Turner kindly offered to take the lead on catering duties at Blewbury events. She will be keen to recruit volunteers for her rota, so please give that some consideration.

2026 and all that

Members who have been kept off the courts recently by sub-zero temperatures and biblical deluges can take comfort from the fact that planning for 2026 is well underway. The playing season is scheduled to kick off some time in March with the Hi-Lo Doubles, which have been deferred from the autumn.

We intend to field a team in the SCF Doubles League next season — two doubles pairs in a side — so there’s your chance to hone your skills alongside a partner.

Next up will be the Roger Cambray Memorial Shield on Easter Monday, April 6th. That’s our heat of the national charity one-ball competition.

Following that — on April 18th — will be the first of the CqE-listed events, a GC Open one-day tournament.

Before all that there will be another winter social at the Red Lion, including our ever-popular quiz. Watch this space for confirmation of the date, almost certainly in January.

Did you find boring boring?

And if you do get on the lawn….NO JUMPING! As,ever, a heads-up will be issued in the spring as soon as it is considered that jump shots won’t harm our precious turf.